Joe Cooney
Clare · Fine Gael · Ireland
“The Minister said that budget 2026 money is tied to reducing disease and I commend him on that. It is having a positive effect. Reactor numbers are down significantly year on year to June and the herd incidence rate is also down. That is welcome.”
“I compliment the Minister on the great work he is doing. With respect, farmers battling with this disease cannot live on engagement or reviews with no end date. Every month this drags on, more and more reactors are being removed at values set three years ago, while cattle prices continue to climb, which is good.”
“The scheme designed to compensate farmers for animals lost to TB is simply not fit for purpose. The market value caps are totally out of step with the real world and farmers are being left thousands of euro out of profit. The Minister has publicly stated that he is monitoring and reviewing these caps.”
“Pharma, medtech, ICT, financial services, aviation, agrifood, and green energy sectors all have a natural home in the Shannon region. The Roche site in Clarecastle is a prime example of the region's industrial capacity.”
“I thank the Minister for his update and his commitment to Shannon and the wider mid-west region, which is very much appreciated. The overdevelopment of Dublin is not a Dublin problem, it is a national failure of planning and political will. Shannon and the wider region are not asking for charity.”
“Ireland is at a crossroads. Dublin is bursting at the seams, housing is scarce, costs are out of control, infrastructure cannot cope and commuters spend hours of their lives on packed roads every day but two hours west of this Chamber, we have an asset of great national potential, Shannon and the wider region.”
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“That commitment is remarkable, but they should not have to carry this burden on their own. The Government supports community centres, sport facilities and other local amenities, and rightly so, but it should also support communities that are working to retain a vital public service like the post office. People in rural Ireland are not asking for special treatment; they are asking for fair treatment. I ask the Minister of State to consider a dedicated funding stream to help community groups to maintain their local post offices. If we are really serious about supporting rural Ireland and keeping rural communities alive, we must back them with practical support.”
“In villages across County Clare and throughout rural Ireland, the post office is more than a service point; it is where people collect pensions, pay bills and meet neighbours. Alongside the local shop, it is the heartbeat of the community. When a post office closes, a community loses more than a building; it loses connection and identity. Business owners should always be the first option to run a post office but unfortunately in many small villages that is simply not possible. However, villages have strong community groups that are willing to step up. In Carrigaholt in west Clare, the community is providing a building and raising the funds to bring it up to the required standard for the post office. They have raised almost €55,000 since last weekend.”
“Seven in every ten fatal collisions take place on rural roads with a speed limit of 80 km/h or higher. These are the very roads I have highlighted here today. Half of all fatalities occur between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. when visibility is at its worst. I recognise that road maintenance is expensive but we have a responsibility as a country to do everything possible to reverse the rise in road deaths. Simple low-cost measures can make a real difference and the evidence is out there to be seen. I urge the Minister of State and his Department to upgrade the requirements and make road markings and cat's eyes compulsory on all regional roads and on busier local roads. These basic safety features should not be optional. They save lives and should be in place everywhere they are needed.”
“While policing plays an important role in reducing road fatalities, that is a separate issue. What we are discussing here is basic road safety infrastructure that should already be in place. I call on the Minister of State and the Department to provide the necessary funding to local authorities and to update the guidance on road maintenance so that these essential safety measures are implemented properly and consistently.”
“I thank the Minister of State for the reply. Travelling on local roads throughout the country and in my county of Clare is challenging at the best of times. It becomes ever more difficult in the depths of winter. Many local and regional roads have inadequate markings where lane markings, arrows and stop lines are not clear. Most have no indications of the edge of the carriageways and very few are fitted with reflective road studs or cat's eyes. It is difficult to understand why proper markings and cat's eyes on regional roads and well-travelled local roads are treated as discretionary rather than compulsory. At a minimum, these safety measures should be mandatory in locations where visibility is poor, such as at bends, junctions and areas prone to fog in the interests of road safety.”
“We are all too aware of the terrible loss of life on our roads in recent weeks and years. Unfortunately, the number of road deaths continues to rise. This should concern us all. Most road traffic collisions in Ireland take place on unlit local and regional roads. At present, it is compulsory to install cat's eyes on national primary and secondary routes. However, this requirement does not extend to local and regional roads. Will the Minister consider extending the mandate to regional and local roads, especially in rural counties?”
“My main concern is that there will only be a trickle of applications for the training and a then a flood at the last minute. We can be smart and avoid that last-minute surge by putting in place a planned, targeted information campaign for next year, possibly using the childcare committees. This would ensure that any misinformation about the process is countered and that anyone who might be interested hears about this well before the deadline, which is important. We could take this campaign directly to parents by going to schools. This would drive a huge awareness campaign at local level, especially in more rural areas where the impact will be mostly felt.”
“I thank the Minister. In Clare we will need roughly 170 childminders to accommodate the number of children who use individual childminders' services. My experience on the ground in Clare is that existing services are already under huge pressures, with long waiting lists, very limited availability in many areas and, unfortunately, increasing numbers of childminders shutting up shop. I acknowledge the need for registration but am very concerned about how this will play out if there is not a well-thought-out strategy put in place to retain existing childminders and encourage new entrants to the sector, which is vital and important for our young generation in these very demanding times.”
“Roughly 22,000 children will need childcare in County Clare by 2027. Only five services have registered and only 26 individual childminders have done the mandatory pre-registration training so far. With less than two years before these new regulations take effect, what is being done to ensure the number of childminders will be sufficient to meet the future demand in Clare by 2027?”
“The resources it has provided to this woman have allowed her to perform to the highest standard. This benefits her, her employers, her colleagues and wider society, which is very important for people with disabilities.”
“I thank the Minister for his update. The maximum rate under the wage subsidy scheme is 50% of the minimum wage. State policy tells employers that disabled people can only work at entry level. We should come at it from the other side and build capacity and value by creating a pathway for those with a disability to progress to the highest levels they can attain which is important for those people. The core issue is that the new wage subsidy scheme is framed in terms of compensating an employer for an employee's perceived lack of ability. That is not empowerment, it is charity. The employment support scheme supports those with a disability to do a job to the fullest and has never been about a defect but about enabling people to contribute on an equal basis with others.”
“I ask that the removal of this scheme from those who currently avail of it and wish to progress their careers be reviewed in light of the principles of providing reasonable accommodation, expectations, obligations under the employment equality Act, the commitment of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the employment pillar of the equality and disability strategy.”
“Article 27 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires prohibition of discrimination in all matters concerning employment and obliges states to ensure reasonable accommodation and adopt measures that enable disabled people to enter, remain and progress in employment. The employment support scheme is such a measure. It directly enables her to work and develop a career on an equal basis with others. Replacing it with a wage subsidy scheme does little or nothing to support career progression at middle or senior management levels where success depends on personal supports for the employee rather wage subsidies to employers.”
“This happened during the probation period where performance, productivity and the ability to carry out core tasks under heightened scrutiny are required. The removal of this support placed her in an impossible position. She now feels being unable to meet productivity expectations, not because of inability or incompetence but because the reasonable support that enabled her to do the job has been withdrawn. In effect, she is being penalised for ambition. Remaining in her previous role would have preserved her support. Her decision to progress her career has resulted in its removal. This places her at a significant disadvantage compared with her non-disabled peers and amounts to discrimination in practice.”
“I raise a serious matter brought to me by a constituent, a disabled woman who was in receipt of the employment support scheme. This support was fundamental. It enabled her to carry out her role, be productive and build a career on an equal basis with others. On the basis that this support was in place, she made the major decision to progress her career. Like any other employee, she successfully convinced a new employer that she should take on a more senior management role. She did so in good faith with the reasonable expectation that the employment support which enabled her to perform her role would continue with her just as her skills, experience and qualifications did and indeed do for every other worker. She was shocked to discover this support would not transfer with her and would not be available to her new employer.”
“There is an upgrade scheme through the SEAI at the minute called the traditional home pilot scheme. There is a low uptake, and this is directly related to the costs associated with conservation technical expertise and the lack of conservation professionals. Will the Minister of State provide details as to the number of expressions of interest there have been through the one-stop shops and the number of those who have followed through with the applications? If we are serious about upgrading many of the older properties in the country - and let us be honest there are lots of them - many of them use turf and coal for heating and have thermal inefficiencies, we will have to acknowledge the reality around the added costs associated with treating them properly.”
“Will the Minister of State consider putting some extra funding in place for people who own these properties to engage conservation professionals?”
“One of the issues I have heard from people who have looked to upgrade their traditional built houses, many of which are in our towns and villages as the Minister of State is well aware, is the potential need to engage conservation professionals, given the construction methods. This puts a far greater cost burden on the owner. I am led to believe there is a significant shortage in such professionals, both technical and practical. This makes for huge delay in delivering the energy upgrades and therefore they are far less attractive. For example, the cost of conservation technical expertise to ensure the internal and external walls of these properties are treated properly could erode a grant available of up to 60%. Does the Minister of State have a breakdown of the number of traditional properties that have taken on these energy upgrades?”
“Everywhere I go these days I see houses getting energy upgrades. They will ensure that our homes will be easier and cheaper to heat and keep warm, which is very welcome. Might the Minister have the number of homes that have completed energy upgrades this year and how that compares with previous years?”
“By increasing its lending capacity, we are investing in a future where everyone has access to secure a high quality home.”
“That shows there is strong demand and a solid pipeline for new homes. If we do not raise the borrowing limit, we risk slowing things down. Housing groups might have to turn to private lenders which could be more expensive and less reliable. That would be bad for the State and families waiting for homes. Some people may worry about the State taking on more debt but the Housing Finance Agency offers better value than private lenders. It saves money in the long run and helps more people to get the homes they need, which is vital and important. A strong Housing Finance Agency means stronger communities and that the people I represent in County Clare, especially the rural communities I referred to earlier, can secure a home in their own area. It provides stable and affordable funding that powers our housing programme.”
“These organisations and others like Kilkee Housing Association are helping families to stay close to where they grew up, where they work and have support, which is vital. When talking about increased funding for the housing Finance Agency, we are talking about giving these groups the backing they need to keep doing what they do best. More funding means more homes, more security and more hope for people across Clare and beyond. The Government's Housing for All plan sets ambitious targets. To meet those targets, the Housing Finance Agency must have enough money to support the work. The Housing Finance Agency's lending forecast to bodies and local authorities will increase significantly by as much as €6.6 billion up to 2028. Last year, housing charities were approved for over €2 billion in loans from the agency.”
“It means they are building more homes and helping more people. In County Clare alone last year, approved housing bodies received €36.1 million in funding from the HFA from which it delivered 146 homes. In County Clare, approved housing bodies are making a real difference. We have seen this in projects like the Moínear co-operative housing development delivered in partnership with Clare County Council and Co-operative Housing Ireland. It is a great example of what can happen when local authorities and housing bodies work together and are supported by affordable financing. Focus Ireland and Clúid also have a strong presence in Clare and are committed to delivering more homes for people who need them.”
“If we are truly committed to sustainable rural development and tackling depopulation in places like west and north Clare, we need to take the necessary action when the opportunity allows. The Minister agreed with me that cost-rental housing can help with the issue. Thanks to new rules, housing charities can now give priority to local people when allocating these homes. That means people who live and work in these areas have a better chance of staying in their communities. For this to work, housing bodies need access to affordable long-term loans. The Housing Finance Agency is the best source for that kind of funding. In 2024, housing bodies delivered over 40% of social housing and more than half of all cost-rental homes. That shows how important they are to the system. That they now need more funding is a sign of success.”
“The key reasons this increase matters are to help build more houses, faster and to give housing bodies financial stability especially when costs and interest rates are rising. It supports newer housing models like cost rental which help families who earn too much for social housing but still struggle with high rents. I recently spoke to the Minister for housing about the pressure on people in coastal communities particularly in my constituency in County Clare in towns and villages like Kilkee, Doolin, Quilty, Carrigaholt, Kilbaha, Fanore, Spanish Point, Lahinch and Ballyvaughan. Many locals are being priced out of their own towns because of demand for second homes. For as long as I have been a public representative, this issue has come up on the doorsteps.”
“I have spoken to Clare County Council's chief executive and staff in the housing department on numerous occasions in recent months. I can without fear of contradiction say the local authority views the lack of available finances as one of the key obstacles to delivering housing. If we limit the agency's funding, we slow down the entire housing effort. Therefore, I encourage all Members of this House to support the Government in what it is seeking to deliver this evening. As Members of Dáil Éireann, it is our collective responsibility to come up with solutions to the housing crisis. It is one of the main issues of our time. I appreciate every party has alternative views on how to tackle the issue but increasing the finances available to the Housing Finance Agency should be no-brainer. The Bill is fundamental.”
“I express my full support for the Government's plans to raise the Housing Finance Agency's borrowing limit from €12 billion to €13.5 billion. This is an important and vital investment in Ireland's future. It gives the agency the funding needed to help to deliver more social and affordable houses throughout the country. We are facing a serious housing crisis. To solve, it we need to use every tool available. Making sure the agency has enough money to do its job is one of the most important steps we can take. The agency is a public body that borrows money at low rates from international markets. It then passes those savings to the local councils and housing bodies. This helps them to build homes more affordably and on a larger scale.”
“This would be outrageous. Will the Minister of State begin the distribution of the funds from this scheme to local authorities such as Clare County Council, which are committed to delivering this scheme? It is vital infrastructure for those villages that do not have it.”
“In the Minister of State's own words, the housing crisis is an emergency. The lack of a treatment system in towns and villages is one of the causes of this emergency, yet the money to develop such systems in towns and villages that are not serviced has been sitting in the Department's bank account for the past three years. The county council is clearly committed to delivering this scheme in two towns in Clare. They could be a demonstration for others, as once one county gets under way, others will follow. This is my belief. The alternative is to backtrack on the commitment given by the Minister of State's predecessor, destroy any hope the communities in Broadford and Cooraclare have of a treatment system, and accept that rural towns and villages do not matter and cannot contribute to a solution to the housing crisis.”
“It is not acceptable in the middle of a housing crisis that a scheme with public moneys allocated for more than three years for vital public infrastructure is being managed in this way.”
“I understand from speaking to colleagues from other counties involved in this scheme that some are much further along in the process than others. I know that Clare County Council can progress if the Department confirms funding for the two projects in Broadford and Cooraclare. These two settlements have demonstrated significant commitment to the proposal of public treatment systems. I asked Clare County Council whether it had confirmed in writing to the Department that the matched funding requirement is available and it has done so. It would appear that some local authorities, and the towns and villages they propose, are being held up because other counties may not have been able to proceed for whatever reason.”
“The lack of wastewater treatment is highlighted as one of the biggest blockages in the delivery of Government housing targets. In 2022, the Minister announced €50 million under the rural water programme to deliver treatment systems in towns and villages that are not serviced. Three years on, none of these projects have begun. Will the Minister distribute these funds to any local authority that has sites ready to move to design and delivery and which has committed in writing to match funding for the projects? Will he ensure that any shortfall in the overall funding from the scheme will be forthcoming from the Department in future?”
“They are not being supported properly and they are walking away. The lack of continuity of care is having a profound impact on the welfare of the children involved. It is the responsibility of the State to deliver and it is failing.”
“I thank the Minister, but everything I have heard on the ground tells me that the system is broken. A review of the issues I have highlighted is needed to make a start on improving things. Good people across the county are holding on by their fingertips and will leave unless a real attempt is made to address their concerns. These children need consistency in social worker staff in order to make progress. That is not happening because staff are walking away on a continual basis due to the pressure of a complex workload, limited resources and a crumbling system. They are firefighting and it is impossible to sustain. The children need secure long-term accommodation. Foster families do wonderful work providing it. They provide complex care to some of the most vulnerable children in the country.”
“Concerns have been raised with me that some that some of these providers may be unregulated and that the care being provided may not be the most appropriate for the needs of these children. I have heard from foster families who have to deal with increasingly complex care needs of vulnerable children who have been left without appropriate levels of support. I ask the Minister for an update.”
“I have heard about a very low number of social workers and extremely high rates of staff burnout and staff turnover in Clare. This has resulted in severely traumatised children being handed from one social worker to another, with little or no continuity of care. I have heard of children with a foster family or residential placement being put into special emergency arrangements, through the out-of-hours service. This only operates from 6 p.m., as the Minister is aware, and children can be placed anywhere around the country. Social worker staff have to transport these very vulnerable children from to Clare to wherever a place is available, perhaps in Donegal, Cork or wherever else.”
“Recently, I had discussions with a number of people who have engaged with Tusla's alternative services in Clare. What I heard about the type and level of care being provided for some of the most vulnerable children in our society caused me great concern. I am here to get some answers as to the number of social workers, the number of vacancies, the turnover rate for social workers in Clare and the number of children who have no allocated social worker and who are currently placed in foster or residential care.”
“I suggest the Minister examine this process to see if an amendment would deliver taking extra childcare spaces in the short term.”
“I thank the Minister for her positive reply. I wish to raise one final point with the Minister regarding extra capacity that may be within the system without any extra facilities, highlighted by this direct quote from the manager of one facility: Allocation of a blanket of 45 hours childcare per week to a family without full consideration of their circumstances is completely clogging up the system. I regularly see 45 hours allocated to families with one or both parents at home for whatever reason. While every child should have an allocation of hours for socialisation, the allocation of 45 hours per week while a parent or parents are home should be discouraged. This facility could potentially take another 30 children off the waiting list if the process around how hours are allocated were re-examined.”
“I ask the Minister to give serious consideration to a root-and-branch review of how these facilities and staff are valued and funded and to bring their level of bureaucracy in line with other education services such as our primary schools, for example.”
“Having spoken to several childcare providers, the main concern for the viability of the sector is staff retention. I am not surprised, given the information I have received. I understand an SNA can be applied to a primary school having completed a 12-week certificate course, while a childcare educator must have a minimum FETAC level 5 qualification, which is a one to two year process. A childcare educator is paid an average of €4 per hour with less work, more hours and lower holiday entitlements. It is no wonder the staff in this sector feel undervalued and are walking away in significant numbers. Childcare facilities are the foundation stone for the growth, development and education journey of all children.”
“One issue that always arises during my weekly clinics in County Clare is the lack of childcare places. This is such an enormous stress for almost all working parents. An adequate level of such facilities is important from an educational perspective, but also as critical enablers for parents to join the workforce. Will the Minister provide a breakdown of the number of childcare providers that have entered and left the sector over the last five years?”
“I am now asking the Government to step in and direct Uisce Éireann to take in charge these modular certified wastewater treatment systems that are the key to unlocking thousands of homes across hundreds of communities, which is vital and important.”
“Innovation is not just about invention; it is about approaching old problems with fresh eyes. Today, on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people across Ireland who are still searching for a home, I ask the Government to seriously consider the proposals I have put forward. We need to enable developers to provide wastewater infrastructure for housing developments that are currently stalled due to the lack of such essential services. I call on the Government to bring Uisce Éireann, developers, local councils and all the relevant authorities together to unlock the system and allow these shovel-ready developments to finally move forward. At the moment, we are losing the fight but I am proposing a solution.”
“The Department is saying it is an operational matter for Uisce Éireann. Uisce Éireann says it is a local authority matter but the local authority is not the water service authority. The blockage needs to be resolved by the Government direction.”
“Designed, built and installed by companies based in Ireland, they are the fastest to deliver, taking months compared with Uisce Éireann which takes years and often decades. Crucially, I ask Uisce Éireann be directed to take in charge the future operation, control and maintenance of these systems once completed, subject to compliance by the builder. I am aware of two projects in Clare - Kilkishen and Ruan. Uisce Éireann initially said there was no issue with capacity. Developers then used significant resources in progressing planning applications but have since been told that these developments cannot now proceed due to the lack of capacity. Modular systems would allow both these developments - almost 70 homes - to progress. However, responsibility for their future maintenance is an issue and is being passed between State bodies.”
“No housing developments will be built in these villages nor in any other settlements in rural Ireland without a treatment system. Rural Ireland simply cannot wait the decades it will take to deliver the treatment plants needed. Uisce Éireann has shown no interest in delivering these small scale treatment systems as it is more focused on the large urban areas. There is a solution. The use of modular certified wastewater treatment systems should be rolled out throughout the country to support the small scale developments on the thousands of acres of already zoned land in unserviced settlements in rural areas. These modular treatment systems can be engineered and manufactured in controlled environments to extremely high standards, require minimum power and maintenance and operate in compliance with strict EPA guidelines.”
“The programme for Government seeks to build 300,000 homes by 2030. It is an ambitious task and one that will need every tool available to Government to deliver. Every week I hear from local builders who want to help Government to deliver on that ambition by building houses in hundreds of rural communities, helping the Government reach its housing target as well as ensuring the viability of our rural communities. They are being blocked in many areas by the lack of wastewater infrastructure and the inability of Uisce Éireann to deliver it at speed and scale. Separately, I know the villages of Broadford and Cooraclare in County Clare are no closer to seeing any progress on the pilot wastewater scheme announced by the Government in 2023 and there is no end in sight.”
“Luckily enough, the neighbours are calling to help her out, but she is now almost five weeks without those services. As I said, these services are vital, not alone to elderly people but to everybody. I hope the Ministers also had consultations with NBI and Eir to see what can be done to fast-track the restoration of the Internet and phone lines in the areas still affected and, more so, for businesses and residents, especially elderly people. As far as I am concerned, now is the time for less talk and more action. Consumers do not want to have to experience the same difficulties they have experienced over the past five weeks. After the recent storm, the lessons have been learned. It is now time to deliver.”
“I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, for his response. I welcome the meeting held with the ESB and I hope action will be taken sooner rather than later. There is also a serious issue as regards Internet connections and phone lines. I hope further consultation will take place with National Broadband Ireland and Eir because I am aware of businesses and residents in certain parts of my county and the west where phone lines and Internet services are still out. That is not good enough in this day and age. We are all well aware of the importance of Internet and phone lines, especially for elderly people. I am aware of one elderly woman of 92 years of age who has a mobile phone but, unfortunately, no network cover and her landline is not working.”