Jerry Buttimer
Cork South-Central · Fine Gael · Ireland
“Its priority is to provide scheduled public transport services on the TFI network. It works with event organisers, operators, local authorities and An Garda Síochána to provide additional transport supports where it is possible to do so.”
“I commit to relaying the points the Senator has made on the floor of the House, and has conveyed to me in private, to the Department of Transport. To be fair to the Senator, it was not only this morning that he has articulated this. The travelling supporters of Kerry and Mayo deserve additional transport.”
“I understand from the company that the Expressway team is currently examining whether additional services on route 22 will be added on the morning of Sunday, 26 July.”
“In this case, for Kerry and Mayo, as the Senator rightly said, it will see a high demand for scheduled and additional services. The Senator has outlined the volume of tickets sales. This is the busiest time for scheduled intercity services anyway, given that it is peak summer time, and that is a priority.”
“I understand from speaking to Irish Rail that it hopes to be in a position to confirm the number of additional services later this week - I am hoping this will be today or tomorrow - and it will advise customers as soon as these services are available to book.”
“The Senator mentioned Sneem and Ventry. He and I will remember our great friends, the late, great John Egan and Paudie O'Shea, as well as the Senator's brother Tim. I get emotional because they were great GAA people. Cork and Kerry have the best supporters of the GAA.”
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“I thank Senator Crowe for raising this important matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. The Minister for Transport is responsible for overall policy and Exchequer funding for the national roads programme. As Members will be aware, once funding arrangements have been put in place with TII, under the Roads Acts 1993-2015, and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the operation and management of individual national roads is a matter for TII, which ultimately delivers that under the national planning framework. TII, through a service provider, operates the M50 and Dublin Port tunnel tolls on behalf of the State.”
“As the Minister stated in his reply, which I am delivering on his behalf, while the mechanism is not being actively considered, it is important that the Government is fully committed to ensuring that survivors of domestic violence have access to safe, secure and appropriate accommodation at every stage of their recovery and transition. I assure the Senator that the Department and the Government look forward to working with her to keep the person, the woman and the family at the very heart and core of what we are talking about this morning. I thank her again for raising this matter.”
“I again thank Senator Comyn for raising the matter. She is right. She has initiated the conversation here. She is also right about post-refuge care and a move towards independent living. She eloquently outlined it. I agree that it a multi-sectoral, multi-Department and multi-agency approach is required. I know the work that is being done in my city of Cork. It is a whole-of-community response - the Government, the local HSE and other agencies are involved, including the Department of justice. Senator Comyn is correct that the whole focus needs to be put on it.”
“While the specific proposal relating to Criminal Assets Bureau-seized property is not under active consideration, the Government remains focused on expanding safe, appropriate and timely housing options through existing mechanisms and developing policy. I will certainly bring back the remarks the Senator made this morning. There is much merit in what she suggests. I commend her on her work and ongoing advocacy. It is a very important issue on which we must continue to shine a light, and we must also provide a range of sustained solutions as she proffered this morning.”
“A key objective for Cuan is to establish a system for collecting and reporting data on the needs and outcomes of households identified as victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence across local authority areas. This data will provide an evidence base to inform the development of services in Cuan's national services development plan. Cuan continues to enhance its partnership with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in the roll-out of this guidance and to identify opportunities for strengthening its implementation throughout the sector. Taken together, these measures demonstrate a sustained commitment across government to strengthening the accommodation pathway for victims of domestic violence.”
“In addition, significant progress is being made through interdepartmental collaboration between Cuan, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and local authorities. The review of the 2017 policy and procedure guidance for housing authorities in relation to assisting victims of domestic violence with emergency and long-term accommodation needs is currently under development by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and Cuan welcome the review and update of the 2017 guidance, which prioritises both emergency and long-term accommodation needs for households affected by domestic abuse and violence.”
“That said, it is important to recognise the contribution that proceeds of crime already make to community supports. Funds generated through the Criminal Assets Bureau are channelled into the community safety fund, which supports a wide range of projects aimed at enhancing community safety and supporting vulnerable groups. A number of these projects directly support services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. There is also ongoing and significant work across government to increase safe accommodation capacity for victims of domestic violence. This includes continued investment in refuge development and provision designed to assist survivors before they move toward independent living.”
“The transition from refuge accommodation to independent living is a crucial stage and ensuring appropriate supports at that point remains a priority across Government. This is reflected in the actions set out in the zero tolerance strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. In relation to the specific proposal raised, the Minister advises that the use of property seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau for move-on accommodation is not currently under consideration from a policy perspective. It is also important to emphasise that the safety of victims of domestic violence underpins the development of all accommodation responses. In that context, the repurposing of properties, including those seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau, may not be capable of meeting the necessary security, confidentiality and suitability requirements.”
“I thank the Senator for raising this important matter and congratulate her on her briefing in the audiovisual room yesterday. Well done to her for her advocacy. I know she had 14 ambassadors in support but she is right. Refuges save lives but they are not for long-term living. I share completely her views. The Minister sends his apologies for being unable to be here today. He thanks the Senator for raising the important matter of the examination of the use of properties seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau as move-on accommodation for women and children leaving domestic, sexual and gender-based violence refuges. The Government fully recognises the importance of ensuring that victims of domestic violence have access not only to emergency refuge spaces but also to safe and sustainable accommodation options when they leave those settings.”
“Planning is taking place regarding future training needs within the inspectorate and framework development for the future monitoring and functioning of the office and the Inspector of Prisons has been supported with additional funding and resources to expand the current prison inspection programme and to prepare the office for its new role as NPM.”
“To give further clarity to the House, in preparation for its future role as the inspectorate of places of detention, the current Office of the Inspector of Prisons, OIP, is participating in the Council of Europe NPM forum and attending the NPM workshops. The OIP is also engaging with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission to designate a co-ordinating body of the multi-member NPM in the general scheme. Stakeholder engagement is ongoing and has commenced with An Garda Síochána as well as the existing Garda accountability mechanisms, including the Policing and Community Safety Authority and Fiosrú.”
“This means that the new chief inspector will have a mandate to monitor a person’s entire journey through detention, from the point of being placed in a Garda vehicle, through to their time in a cell in a Garda station, in court, on remand and, if sentenced, into a term of imprisonment. The OPCAT will be ratified after the legislation is passed by the Oireachtas. It is expected that the necessary arrangements will be in place within the following 12 months to ensure that inspections can be carried out in places of detention across the State.”
“The legislation will provide for the designation of a single NPM to visit and inspect all places of detention in the justice sector and for Government Ministers in other sectors to appoint appropriate NPMs for places of detention within their remit, for example, certain healthcare settings. The existing post of Inspector of Prisons will be replaced by a new post of chief inspector of places of detention to take on the role of NPM for the justice sector, to include prisons, Garda stations, the courts and vehicles used by the Irish Prison Service and An Garda Síochána.”
“This will mean making changes to how prisons are inspected but it will also affect other places where persons are detained for any reason, such as detention in the Central Mental Hospital and the detention of children in Oberstown. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration is currently working with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to draft the legislation needed to enable ratification, namely, the inspection of places of detention Bill. This is a commitment in the 2025 programme for Government and the intention is to publish the Bill in the coming months.”
“I thank the Senator for raising this very important matter. The Minister sends his apologies for not being able to attend. I did read Mark Kelly's article. The Senator is right; it does make for interesting reading. Ireland ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 2002 and signed the optional protocol to the convention, OPCAT, in 2007. OPCAT obliges signatory states to establish a system of inspections of all places where persons can be detained to be carried out by inspection bodies to be known as national preventive mechanisms, NPMs.”
“As the Deputy knows, the legality of this decision is being challenged in the Parliament by Spain and Italy, and it is before the Court of Justice. Ireland has intervened in the case in support of the Parliament, and the case is ongoing. A positive outcome to this legal case would set a precedent for the use of nationality-based competitions by the Commission and other institutions. The Deputy is right about the need to continue raising awareness so that we can have good quality jobs for Irish people in the EU institutions. I commend him on bringing the matter before the House.”
“That is why one of the three key pillars of the careers in Europe strategy is about promoting the reform of the European Union’s recruitment process to ensure we have more Irish graduates and others getting posts in the institutions. We firmly believe that the structural issues require permanent solutions. We continue to lobby, alongside like-minded member states, for the adoption of selection competitions based on nationality for underrepresented countries. The Deputy’s points are well made. As a country, we have welcomed the decision by the European Parliament to hold nationally based competitions to address the chronic underrepresentation of three member states, namely, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Austria, among the staff.”
“I again thank the Deputy. There is huge merit in what he is suggesting. The point he made on education, information and assistance is critical. He is right that we must continue to raise awareness. We must continue to ensure that there are Irish people in good quality jobs in the European Union. The Deputy is 100% right that our influence in Europe has never been more needed in a global world where there is uncertainty. We are building new friendships and new alliances. I commend the Deputy on his role as chair of the European grouping in the Oireachtas. I wish David Geary every success in his new position and thank Noelle O’Connell for what she has done as European Movement Ireland is a critically important organisation. The Deputy is correct that our officials are doing extraordinary work.”
“Funding for the centrally funded scheme for SNEs has risen from €2 million in 2021 to €4.2 million this year, supporting an increase from 24 SNEs to 53 over the course of 2025 and helping to give Ireland the highest number of SNEs per capita in the European Commission among all member states. With Ireland assuming the Presidency of the European Union from 1 July 2026, having experienced Irish officials in place across the institutions has never been more important. In summary, the progress we have made under the A Career for EU strategy is real, measurable and the result of a consistent, whole-of-government commitment to ensuring that Irish voices, Irish values and Irish expertise are present at the heart of the European Union. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter.”
“In addition, in January 2026, Dr. Lorraine Nolan took up office as executive director of the European Union Drugs Agency, the third Irish national currently heading an EU agency. Traineeships are a proven pathway towards a rewarding career in the European Union, and recent promotional efforts have also focused on highlighting ones such as the Blue Book with the Commission. In 2025, 34 Irish people undertook the Schuman traineeship with the European Parliament, representing 3.76% of total trainees. This is almost double our expected percentage of 1.94%. The Government has made notable progress on the placement of seconded national experts, SNEs, from the public or Civil Service in strategically important positions across the institutions.”
“Additionally, in 2025, hundreds of Irish candidates received targeted training supports across multiple competitions, including EU-specific practice materials and interview preparation. The strategy and these efforts are starting to bear results. For example, Ireland had 43 permanent officials at the key entry grades in the European Commission in December 2025, an increase of seven on 2024 and up from 30 in 2022. I also wish to highlight the large number of Irish applicants for the recent graduate AD5 competition, the first large-scale recruitment competition that the EU has held since 2019. Over 1,700 Irish citizens submitted applications, placing Ireland tenth out of 27 member states on a per capita basis. The result also shows that Ireland had the third largest increase in candidates compared with our figures in 2019.”
“The strategy has three key areas of focus: promotion of careers in the EU institutions in Ireland, in particular within the education system, to encourage more Irish applicants for EU posts; greater support and training for Irish people interested in careers in the EU; and promoting the reform of the EU’s recruitment process to ensure more Irish people get posts in the institutions. Since its launch, outreach and awareness-raising have expanded significantly. This includes social media, with a particular focus on the careers networking platform LinkedIn, and informational webinars with professional bodies and universities. There is also attendance at second and third level careers events, reaching thousands of people in 2025.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an ábhar seo a chur os ár gcomhair. I agree with him that it is an opportunity present, showcase, promulgate, inform and educate people as to what is available. We should be represented in the European institutions and I fully concur with him. I apologise that the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, is not here to take this and I am taking it for him. I welcome this opportunity to address what is genuinely a success story, one that reflects years of sustained, strategic effort by the Government to ensure that Irish citizens are well represented in the EU institutions. In May 2021, the Government launched the A Career for EU strategy to improve Irish representation in the EU. Implementation is led by the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne.”
“The existing supports available in the Department along with the recent budget increases will continue to support this important group of people, but I will take the remarks the Deputy has made back to the Minister because, in a changing world, it is important that we do not leave older people behind. The world that they inhabit now is a digitally changed world and we have a duty of care to them as well.”
“In this regard, it is providing very significant funding through the national broadband plan. That plan, which is the largest ever telecommunications project undertaken by the State, will radically transform our broadband landscape through the delivery of quality, affordable high-speed broadband to all parts of Ireland where such services will be delivered and available to people. There is a commitment in the programme for Government that 1.1 million people, including people living in rural and urban areas, farms and non-farms, and businesses will be connected by 2026. I reassure the Deputy that the Department will continue to support recipients of the telephone support allowance, especially where they are vulnerable and at risk of isolation.”
“A sum of €21.6 million or 164,000 customers are not small numbers. I thank the Deputy again for raising the matter. I agree with her that in a world that is changing hugely, we cannot let older people be left behind and left out. They are feeling isolated and vulnerable in a digital world that is changing, and we cannot ignore that. The Government will not be found wanting in that regard. The Department provides targeted payments to help people with their household costs. I listed the fuel allowance, the living alone increase, the household benefits package and additional needs payment because it is a comprehensive suite of measures and investment by Government. While these supports can, of course, help older people with their cost-of-living services, providing access to these services is also a priority for Government.”
“Telephone companies and operators have an obligation and duty as well to look at that, in terms of some of our older people, in their packages. They can tailor some of their packages to suit older people. I will bring the Deputy's remarks back to the Minister. In fairness, we are hearing on a day-to-day basis of people needing their phones more and using them more, even to stay in touch. It is that element of fear. As I said, we are working with ALONE about changing the senior citizens alert scheme. We will have more information on that at a later date.”
“This comprises of an electricity or gas allowance and a free television licence, which is worth approximately €580 a year. Furthermore, the Department of Social Protection provides for a means-tested additional needs payment as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which helps people meet essential expenses that they cannot pay from their weekly income. These payments are available through community welfare officers. Increasing the rate of household-based schemes, such as the living alone increase and the fuel allowance, provides targeted support to households that are at a higher risk of poverty. Any proposal to increase the rate payable for the telephone support allowance could only be considered in the budgetary context.”
“In response to the increase in energy prices due to the war in the Middle East, the fuel allowance season was extended by a further four weeks to the end of April, which provided an additional €152 to recipients. To receive the telephone support allowance, a customer must be in receipt of a qualifying payment and also in receipt of both the living alone allowance and the fuel allowance. This means that those in receipt of the allowance already receive considerable support from the Department. However, there is, to be fair to the Deputy, merit in the consideration of this because I believe that more and more people are looking to us in terms of mobile phone connectivity. The household benefits package is available to those in receipt of the telephone support allowance.”
“-----to increase it to €7.50. I will certainly feed that back to the Minister as part of the Government's deliberations on next year's budget. The Government is committed to supporting older persons and persons with disability. Given the many competing demands for the limited funding available in the Department of Social Protection, there was no increase in the telephone support allowance in budget 2026. Other supports provided by the Department, however, were increased in that budget, including the €10 increase in the weekly rate in social welfare payments and the €5 increase in the fuel allowance. It is important also to recognise that in that fuel allowance piece, we are providing an additional €140 during the annual fuel allowance season. This will provide support of €1,064 to a household during a 28-week fuel season.”
“I am due to meet ALONE in a couple of weeks in that regard. The allowance is a cash payment automatically paid with a person's main weekly social welfare payment and it can, of course, be used towards broadband or mobile data charges. Cumulatively, the allowance is paid to over 164,000 customers weekly, at a cost of €21.6 million. The Deputy stated that it would cost €67 million-----”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. He is correct that it is an important matter because more and more people are depending on connectivity by mobile phone. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Calleary, who sends his apologies. The telephone support allowance is €2.50 a week for people who are getting both the living alone increase and the fuel allowance, and one of a number of payments that I will not go through because the Deputy knows all the payments associated with it. The primary objective of the telephone support allowance is to allow the most vulnerable people at risk of isolation, including the elderly and those with disabilities, access to personal alarms or phones for security. As the Deputy will be aware, we are moving with the personal alarms as well.”
“I reassure the Deputy that the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, recognises the many benefits Cork Life Centre is having on children and young people who attend it. The Department is keen to work with Cork Life Centre in the coming period to examine its future sustainability. For a variety of reasons, we must recognise that students do not stay in mainstream education. It is not leaving cert plus, as the Deputy knows; it is a combination of everything. The approach being taken here is one that has worked. I certainly hope we can collaboratively work together to ensure its continuing success.”
“The key point for all of us here, and the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach is very familiar with this, is that the recent evaluation reported that the lessons in the life centre were meaningful and engaging and that a good questioning approach was used that enabled young people to be able to, if you like, use subject-specific terminology and express their understanding. As we know, that is very important in the education process. What is very important from the evaluation and for those of us who go in there and have met with the staff and students is that they are very effective and proactive in supporting young people to recognise the positive contribution education can make and have on their future development. We will continue to engage with Cork Life Centre.”
“It is important to recognise that the Department has been engaging. There was a piece going back to 2024 relating to primary school designation. Ultimately, what we all want to see is that the life centre in Sunday's Well is supported and that we keep students who would not be in mainstream education in education. The inspectorate carried out a bespoke evaluation model last year. As the Deputy can imagine, the evaluation was positive. Some of the findings include that staff were observed as being considerably kind, supportive and caring towards all young people. Young people themselves reported that the education in Cork Life Centre was a positive experience for them, and parents reported that the centre and staff made a very positive contribution to children's lives and the lives of their families.”
“I assure Deputy Cummins that the Department of education recognises the many benefits of the centre. All of us present in the Chamber recognise the impact it is having on young people, and we are totally in awe at the quality of education and the outcomes. I am constantly asking the Department about this as well. The Department is committed to working with all of us to ensure that the centre in the coming period is sustainable because Cork Life Centre has been of huge benefit in our city and county. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I will bring her points back to the Department and the Minister.”
“Department officials wrote to the centre two years ago with a proposal from the Department that will see the centre recognised under the Education Act 1998. It will then be designated as a special school for primary, with a school roll number. The communication from the Department sets out the requirements in relation to equipment provision, teaching of the curriculum and the length of the school day and school year in order to be recognised by the Department as a primary school under the Education Act. The letter also outlines the level of staffing resources and other supports that would be allocated by the Department to the centre to be recognised as a school. I believe that officials are continuing to engage with the centre in respect of this funding and arrangements.”
“The Department has provided funding and teacher co-operation hours to the centre for several years going back to 2018, which has been increased significantly since then. This year, the Department provided funding of €177,500 along with 6,200 co-operation hours in conjunction with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. As the Deputy knows, centre referrals come from the education and welfare service, school principals, social workers or child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS. The centre is seeking sustainability for the future from the Department. Over the past number years, Department officials have visited the centre and met with management on a number of occasions in relation to the issues discussed by the Deputy.”
“This educational setting, and I use to word “setting” not in a cold way but, as the Deputy quite rightly articulated, in a way that provides access to education for approximately 55 children and young adults between the ages of 13 and 18 who would not be in mainstream education and who would be lost to the education system were it not for the centre. As I said, it is junior cycle and leaving certificate applied exams. It is supported by an incredible group of staff, teachers, volunteers and people who are under the trusteeship of the Christian Brothers European Province. The centre is one of a small number of alternative education providers that are supported by the Department of Education and Youth.”
“I also apologise for the Minister not being here. I am taking this matter on her behalf. Since the 1970s, a small number of alternative education settings that operate outside of the traditional mainstream education system have evolved on an ad hoc basis across the State. What is clear is that these settings support the needs of children and young people who have disengaged from, as it were, or are not engaged in mainstream education. They have blossomed and flourished, in this case in the Cork Life Centre in Sunday's Well. The Acting Chair is familiar with it as well.”
“I thank Deputy Cummins for raising this very important matter. At the forefront of our thoughts this afternoon is Don O'Leary and the great work he did. This is a very important Cork educational establishment. The Deputy is right that it is held in high esteem across Cork and beyond. The care and love it shows is a wonderful example of how education can be. As a former director of adult education and a teacher of the leaving certificate applied, I understand fully that the Cork Life Centre is committed to supporting children and young people who attend the centre so that they can realise their full potential and the benefits the centre will bring to their lives. I apologise that I do not have the scripted reply for the Deputy, but I will get it forwarded to her. For some reason, it has not been made available.”
“As I said in the past, it is a sensible approach to the medium and long-term budgetary position. I thank Deputy Nash for bringing the motion forward.”
“It is about providing benefit to householders and businesses so that we can keep jobs going, we can sustain that sustainable position on our economy, and we can use our funds wisely. If we are genuinely sincere in the way in which we continue to budget and continue to manage our economy, we must have sustainability and we must be wise and prudent. I certainly do not want to go back to 2007 or 2010 when we were in this House and the Upper House. This is why the national development plan has a clear roadmap for investment. Proper budgetary planning must be done in a measured way to represent people, taking into account the pressures of today but also the longer-term perspective. I thank the Labour Party for bringing the motion before the House tonight. I believe the Government is getting the balance right.”
“We cannot write, “Dear Santa” and the wish list will be got. As we all know, someone pays the bill for Santa at the end of the day. The measures we have taken are targeted. They provide support to the most vulnerable and assist the people and sectors of our economy where there is a need for jobs, job security and growth. They are proportionate measures. I know it is not sexy or glitzy to speak about the sound management of the economy. When I think about the Ministers for Finance we had in modern times, people like Ruairí Quinn, Brian Lenihan jnr, Paschal Donohoe, Michael Noonan, Jack Chambers and now Simon Harris, and Joan Burton when she was in social protection, I often wonder how they would have reacted and what would they have done.”
“Many of us in our parliamentary parties engage with our Ministers and leaders about them. The Cathaoirleach Gníomhach referred earlier to the greatest hits of the Government. This was not about the greatest hits; it was about interventions to address the impact of costs on people whom we all represent and understand. I will not list the measures introduced but people are seeing a benefit now. Are they totally immune? No. The Taoiseach said here many times that we cannot provide that blanket for everyone. What we are doing, however, is putting in place packages that reduce the rate of inflation and costs on people. Let us be clear: there are choices to be made, and those choices have consequences. The Government has been careful in its deliberation and calibration of the response. This is not a letter to Santa.”
“The Tánaiste has initiated that conversation. As policymakers, there is an obligation on us, as Deputy Heneghan mentioned, to strike that balance between the competing priorities that we all rightly commend and speak for. We all represent different interest groups and people. At the end of the day, those interest groups are representing people, and we should never lose sight of that. We must strike that balance so that we can responsibly manage our public finances and invest in childcare, disability, education and infrastructure. I understand the political game. It is back and forth and sometimes, we have to try to appease, win and excite people. However, do not for one second think that those of us on this side of the House do not recognise the difficulties people face. We understand them fully. That is why we intervened.”
“I have great faith in people like Deputy Nash. I admire him greatly, having served with him in both Houses. He has that ability to look at the national economic dialogue and engage constructively. He was in government. He knows what it is like when there is nothing in the cupboard and when you are hiding under the cupboard to try to find a few bob. He never shirked his responsibility, nor did the Labour Party to be fair when it was in government. I will always have admiration for people in the Labour Party because when the country needed it in the tough times, the party was there. We should never forget that. My view is very clear in that regard. The budgetary economic process has begun, as we know. The priorities for the next budget are beginning to be unfurled. That is why I welcome this conversation around tax and taxation.”
“That is why the Government has been clear around de-escalation. Some of the propositions from the Opposition are to spend it all now, which would leave us with no buffer for the winter or anything to last us into the next couple of months. Where would we be then? Members of the Opposition would come into the Chamber and say that we were irresponsible, imprudent and did not manage the economy carefully. In that scenario, hey presto, we would have no resources on hand to budget for unforeseen shocks. As the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, said, if we were to respond to every demand asked of us, we would have no surplus and be in a far more exposed position. We would be back to the budgetary position we were in at the time of the crash between 2007 and 2010 and beyond. That is why this is important.”
“Perhaps we did not communicate it properly or engage quicker. I accept that. I am not living in an ivory tower, as I said. I accept that point. We acted to insulate households and businesses from the worst impacts of rising costs. That is why we have two packages with a cumulative cost of €750 million. It is the second highest or highest package in Europe. That budget surplus was not conjured up out of magic money. This package supports the most vulnerable through lower costs at the pump and supporting key sectors of our economy. It is great to go off and tax and spend, but what happens next October or November if we are still where we are? That is why I agree with Deputy Heneghan. Let us hope this war is over because it has only got one outcome, that is, it is negative for everybody.”
“Equally, we have seen the DEIS plus scheme advanced where we now have 181 schools in our education system being able to be supported under this scheme. This morning, I spoke with students participating in the think big programme in Stillorgan. These are wonderful young people coming together with ideas and creativity. Understandably, people are frustrated, angry and upset at the rising costs. However, if we were to have an objective analysis, which does not always suit the narrative some want to portray, it would tell us that we must be clear and responsible in our administration of public moneys. All of us are acutely aware of the energy price shock. It did not take a protest or a blockade to tell us that. That is why the Government acted. I am serious; we did not need to hear that. We knew it.”