Joe Neville
Kildare North · Fine Gael · Ireland
“With the pyrite mediation scheme closing in just four months' time, on 30 November, some people in my constituency have real concerns. Yesterday, I met two constituents who highlighted the fact that their neighbours had been impacted by pyrite in the past and they are concerned about how it might impact them in future.”
“One of the largest semiconductor plants world-wide is only a few hundred metres from my house. It is a large employer where a multitude of my friends, neighbours and even family, at times, have been employed. Intel has been hugely important in north Kildare and, indeed, internationally.”
“We are ahead of the curve from a European point of view in north Kildare in that we have Intel, which many other countries in Europe do not have. We have a knowledge base and a history. Intel has been there since I was a child. With that local knowledge and capability, we want to ensure Ireland stays a step ahead.”
“The issue I want to raise today is the national semiconductor plan. A lot of people wonder what exactly semiconductors are and what exactly that means because it can be a catch-all name in itself. Realistically, they are the chips that power modern electronics and modern computing.”
“Whatever element it is, its support to the State is enormous and that is something of which I think we are all very conscious. Once again, with its importance and the key impacts of the national semiconductor plan in mind, what I am specifically asking about today is the progress and plans we have regarding the clusters, growth and employ…”
“I welcome the response, as well as the many announcements that have come in and the efforts that have been made. Even going back to last year's budget, one thing I highlighted beforehand and discussed was the importance of the R and D tax credit.”
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“While I know steps are in place, I am concerned that the pace of infrastructure delivery, like many facets of our economy, may not match the scale of generation coming on stream. Investment is needed. Apprenticeships need to be expanded and our grid needs to be overhauled. Can the Taoiseach confirm what steps the Government will prioritise in the coming months and in the budget to ensure that the commitments in the programme for Government on energy security, renewable integration and grid modernisation are delivered?”
“I would also like to reference Patrick Gerard Murphy. I knew Patrick as a fellow councillor. I went to many conferences with him over the years and had a pint and a bit of chat. He was always one for a bit of back-and-forth in the best way possible. He will be sadly missed. I was very sorry to hear about him yesterday. What I want to reference today is Ireland's energy supply. As we know, it is one of the nation's key challenges. Demand is rising, as was mentioned earlier in the context of the increase in our population. We are, quite rightly, phasing out fossil fuels and across the country people need certainty on supply and cost. In our programme for Government, we correctly identified the need to scale up investment in critical infrastructure in our electricity grid so as to make it advantageous to customers.”
“Hence the reason I want to be standing here, as a Government back bench TD is this case, supporting our Minister as she leads the way in ensuring we have the best health system we can possibly have. Money has been put aside and significant budgets have been put in place, but we need to ensure our system delivers for our people in the way it should and in the way they deserve. I thank the Members for the time today. I think this Bill will pass.”
“There is also the picture behind that and how it builds towards it. Therefore, it is important that we are clear because that will help to emphasise the transparency and accountability to the Oireachtas and to the public, to whom we are all beholden as Oireachtas Members. The Bill will support the Sláintecare reform programme, which aims to build a unified and equitable accounting health system. Most of all, though, it will be there to prevent a systematic failure. It is designed to avoid the kind of systematic failures we have seen in past HSE governance issues, namely, with CervicalCheck and budget overruns. This Bill can be part of that improvement, giving us power to ensure we can carry out corrective actions beforehand and hold those people to account. That is something we must support.”
“With this Bill, there will be a stronger role for the Minister. The Minister will have greater oversight powers to ensure compliance, service plans are delivered and there is financial accountability. If the HSE itself fails to act on overspending or underperformance, the Minister can take directive action. It is important we have that in legislation because that is key. Ultimately, we want our politicians - I include myself in that - to be held accountable. We also want to be in a position to hold others accountable who are acting on behalf of the public and, in many cases, the taxpayers who enable us to run the State as we do. The annual performance review will require detailed annual reports on how the HSE is meeting service targets and financial responsibilities. As we all know, financial reports are not about a set of numbers.”
“It has been said over generations, even when the budgets were much smaller, that no matter how much money is put into the health system, we will not fix it. That is an awful way for any country, any set of politicians or the public to view any system. It is awful that our health system, the most important part of our government, should be perceived in that way. Once again, the Bill will help to stop that. If spending limit thresholds are broken, the CEO must notify the board and the Minister for Health and must propose corrective actions to stay within budget. That has not always been the case historically. Sitting at home listening to the radio over the years before I was involved in politics, there was always the fear that these issues could arise and we would only find out after.”
“We know that the CEO's intention will always be to do the best while always ensuring there is good governance, but that does not necessarily end up being the case. As an accountant myself, I have seen it over the years as an auditor. There might be financial controls in place but they are not always the best controls. Indeed, the service is not always delivered in the best way possible. However, this Bill gives the Minister for Health a more hands-on approach and a possibility of ensuring those jobs are being done well. The HSE itself, as we know, and as Deputy Devlin said earlier, has a significantly larger budget. It has a huge budget - the largest health budget we have ever set. Sometimes, the problem is that so many people have a view about this.”
“Since coming to Leinster House, I have seen different parts. At the public accounts committee, that is what we do quite often - we ask afterwards. We ask questions about how money was it spent. This Bill will allow the Minister to have a key role in that. I am a TD in north Kildare, which is a rapidly growing location. It is in rapid need of improved community service. This will help with that. It will reinforce the shift towards better-managed community care with clear leadership and planning. Ultimately, that is what we need. The Bill also clarifies and strengthens the responsibility of the HSE board itself. It makes the board and the CEO legally accountable for good governance.”
“Sometimes, I come to the House and I am not exactly sure of the relevance of individual Bills or of what negative point the Opposition might make that day. The Opposition could not make a negative point today because this Bill speaks to the core of something we talk about in the country so often. We talk about money being spent, who spent it, why it was spent, who is to blame and where the accountability is. Unfortunately, we sometimes see increases in budgets but we do not necessarily get the returns. On Leaders' Question yesterday, the issue of all the extra money we are spending came up. It is a question of whether we are getting enough back. This Bill allows the Minister to be able to hold people to account, ask questions and do so in a robust and systematic way we may not have been able to do formerly.”
“There was legislation last year. Can we look at the penalties around this? There are €50 on-the-spot fines. Are they sufficient? What extra help can we give the Garda as regards enforcement of these issues on our streets? Families are no longer safe having their children out sharing the space on the paths, and our elderly no longer feel safe walking the same roads and sharing the same paths.”
“I wish to raise the issue of safety on our roads and, indeed, footpaths in relation to e-scooters and e-bikes. Last week, while coaching our under-14 hurlers in Leixlip, I noticed that there was an ambulance and a police car at an incident on the road behind us. I went up to investigate. I saw a nine-year-old boy being carried away in an ambulance. He had been cycling his bike and minding his own business, along with other people, on the footpath at 7 p.m. in Leixlip. An e-scooter had come along and, obviously, hit him. There was impact there. For me, it highlighted the fear I hear from a lot of people, including elderly people out walking the roads, about e-scooters and e-bikes on the footpaths and where they are mixed or merging. It is not even footpaths; there might be a split cycle lane on the path, so they are sharing similar spaces.”
“I do not want to blame myself for that but it is exactly what happened. We would have DART underground - I shudder to think that when I say "DART underground", the place will shake - inclusion as a long-term goal too. Ultimately, these are all plans on a report and something we need to get to. As the report says, rail has the potential to deliver on accessibility, climate, connectivity, economic growth, environmental and regional development goals across the island. As a country, we have had our borders - real borders and borders we do not see - but at the same time, somehow our rail has always been limited by them. We need to get back to our pre-State situation where lines did come across the Border. I welcome the statements we are making on the report that was delivered previously.”
“We could have increased speeds of up to 200 km/h on core routes. Previously, that is something we might only have seen in the likes of Japan and France with their bullet trains. We all looked longingly at those compared with our own trains. We need to get there. In the modern State we have, with the financial support we have and the investment we are ready to give, we need to get there. Like that, it also calls for quadrupling tracking and capacity expansion near Dublin, which should be rolled out further. Hourly intercity services with two-hour regional frequencies were previously things we could only dream about. As I outlined, we will see the extension of electrification and the rolling stock replacement. Once again, that is critical. I talk about electrification and, as I speak, the lights go out in the Chamber.”
“I have raised this issue already in the Dáil many times and I have raised it previously as a councillor, but I would I like to see the DART+ West project extended to also serve the people of Kilcock. More nationally, I welcome the fact that rail journey times between the island's major cities would be significantly reduced, by 50% in some cases, with the introduction of the plans here and that there would be an introduction of hourly services between key cities. We have all seen those maps through the years of what our rail service used to look like and Ireland was greatly connected by rail. These modern, new upgrades will hopefully bring us back to that. The report outlines the hopes to connect as many towns of 10,000 or more to the rail network as possible. In the report, we also see the benefits we could get.”
“Today, I am delighted to resume statements on the all-island strategic rail review recommendations. In my constituency of Kildare North, many people depend on rail transport to commute to work and I have been one of those over the years and continue to be. People living in towns such as Naas, Maynooth, Kilcock, Leixlip and Celbridge all commute daily. I commend the work the National Transport Authority, NTA, has done so far on building a strong rail service to our capital city. Over the years as my career has continued, I have seen those improvements. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, in his statements last week acknowledged that the works for DART+ West to Maynooth and DART+ South West to Hazelhatch and Celbridge have been approved. This will double the city centre's rail capacity, which is vital for people living in my constituency.”
“The centre must always hold. We as a Government have been fortunate to be in a country where the centre has held and we have been lucky in many ways. I, for one, would like to be part of a Europe where the centre holds. It is not about the far left or the far right. It is important that we play a key role in the leadership we are showing and will continue to show.”
“This was reflected over the previous couple of weeks and continues to be reflected as Ireland shows leadership in that way. I commend the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste on their efforts in this regard and, indeed, the whole diplomatic team. There have been many references to the EU and what is happening in Ukraine. The EU has strongly supported Ukraine and we know the damage being done there. As Deputy Byrne said, we need to keep this at the top of the agenda and if we have the opportunity to do so, we must continue to do that. Deputy Bacik referenced the growth of the far right but there is also the growth of the far left. It has caused significant damage across Europe and different parts of the world for many generations. We saw the damage done in Eastern Europe. As much as we discuss the far right, we also have to look at the far left.”
“At the EU summit, there were key discussions around what is happening in Gaza. Ireland as a country has shown great leadership in Europe in this regard. I heard previous Deputies complain, give out and say the EU was not strong enough. They might be right in some of that but, at the same time, where Ireland has led, many other countries in the EU have followed. Countries like Spain may have been with us at the start but we are generally seeing the people's view moving towards that of Ireland. We have all been questioned about whether we could do more but, as I said, this Irish Government has been at the forefront of speaking for Gaza. That might not be acknowledged on the Opposition benches but it has been acknowledged in Europe and Palestine. This Government has been at the forefront of speaking for the people of Gaza and Palestine.”
“The European Chips Act, which was adapted in July 2023, addresses some of the key challenges facing the semiconductor industry but we know those challenges will only get tougher. There are key challenges coming from not just China but also Taiwan with TSMC, and there is Nvidia in the US. We are seeing the development of companies on their side and we need to ensure we have that strong knowledge within the EU. These industries are the industries of the future and Europe needs to have a key share of it. The EU's market share of the semiconductor industry represented only 12.7% of the global market. We need to ensure this is supported and grows in order that Irish manufacturers will be once again at the forefront of that. That is key and it is why it is important we speak about it not only here but also at the highest level.”
“That being said, there are other wider benefits we continue to see in all discussions and in our standing within the EU. As I said, the area I wish to focus on is EU competitiveness. This needs to be strengthened through innovation and promoting EU technological leadership. As we know, Europe has been behind the US and China in its technological growth, which is something we need to resolve and fix. Fortunately for us, Ireland has seen the benefit of the level of foreign direct investment, abilities and knowledge we are accumulating in our own country, but we have been at the forefront. This leads to my key point: we need to ensure we are at the forefront and that the EU also gets there. We need to ensure we can support the companies here, such as Intel, which is based in Leixlip.”
“The issues I wish to raise relate specifically to our competitiveness across the EU, especially with the technological hat we have on as a country. I can see it especially in my own constituency with Intel in north Kildare. We are in a very lucky position as a country to be at the forefront of speaking at these EU summits. It is something we should not take for granted. Many people from this country over many years have contributed well and our standing across the EU is in high regard because of them. Indeed, they have a level of trust in what we speak and stand for as a country. Historically, we as a country have been beneficiaries of the EU, both financially and technologically. Now, we are probably at a slightly different stage in that journey whereby we are helping others, which is positive.”
“As a country we have had our difficulties. Many of our families were involved in the War of Independence. We do not have to go back too far for all of those stories, or for the battles that raged around Europe. We have seen peace and now we want the same freedom, peace and future for the people of Gaza. This is why I am making this statement. I am with the Government and what it is doing. I call again on Israel to have a ceasefire as soon as possible so we can start to rebuild Gaza with what is required for the future peace and prosperity of the people of the area so they too can live as we do.”
“The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Harris, has been at the forefront of leading this, as has the Taoiseach. The Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, is here representing the Government in this debate and all Ministers have been to the forefront in representing it. Deputy Séamus McGrath and I may be backbench TDs but we also speak for the Government. The Government speaks with one voice and it is important that the Opposition and the people of Ireland know with what voice we speak. We speak on behalf of fairness. We speak on behalf of peace. We speak on behalf of all of the people who are struggling in Gaza and other areas of the Middle East and throughout the world. We speak for them because we speak for freedom. This House came out of war and we have prospered in the freedom we have found since.”
“This goes against the view of everyone else. The Opposition is completely wrong in how it is portraying the Government. We want not only to make the case now but we have made it previously and we will continue to do so. This debate is about the Middle East and we have seen what has happened in recent weeks with Iran and Israel. We had issues back and forth between the two countries. I hope that now they have come to a resolution and the guns have been silenced. Ultimately, an escalation of any conflict does no good to anyone. It just sows the seeds of future distrust which will continue for future generations. Ireland remains fully committed in all of this. We remain fully committed to promoting peace throughout the world, and especially in the Middle East where we feel we have a role.”
“As Deputy Séamus McGrath outlined, we have committed significant funding in our own way to the people of Gaza, as highlighted by the €58 million to UNRWA, among other moneys. We have repeatedly called for a ceasefire with the immediate release of hostages. We recognised the State of Palestine when other countries did not do so. We have shown the way across Europe, along with Spain and Norway, in this specific regard. The Government will continue to make the case throughout Europe and at the UN. Let no one in this House be in any doubt about where the Irish Government stands. The country of Israel is in no doubt about where this country stands. Sometimes when I am taking part in debates on RTÉ or Newstalk, the Opposition, which is not here at present, would like to label us as not being as pro-Gaza or Palestine as we should be.”
“I have received emails from people who are horrified and distressed. Their views mirror my own and those of the people beside me. People might ask why I would speak as a TD about the Middle East and ask who cares what a TD in Ireland says about the Middle East. The only reason we discuss it is that we have to discuss it and highlight what we see on our TV screens and what is going on. If we do not, the world will be silent about what is going on. Although we are not the strongest militarily or economically, what we do have is a history of standing proudly neutral and fair behind what is right. We know that what is happening in Israel and Gaza is not right, and this is what we are calling out. The Irish Government has always been clear on its support for Gaza.”
“It is often pitched that we are on the other side of this fight, for want of a better term. There is a view that we may not stand as aligned as we should, but I would argue that the people of Palestine know exactly where Ireland stands. The leaders of Palestine know exactly where we stand. The leaders in the Middle East know exactly where we stand. We stand against what is happening in Gaza and what is happening to all of the people there, especially the children, and how they are being killed and their lives destroyed. Not only is destruction happening now, what is happening will sow the seeds of destruction for future generations. That is what we in Ireland have highlighted. Constituents in Kildare North have reached out to me over the past couple of years, especially since I have been elected to the Dáil.”
“I welcome the O'Regan family from Dublin via Cork and thank them all for coming to the Gallery. It is good to see them. We are speaking about the Middle East which is obviously a complex issue, as outlined by Deputy McGrath. The Government has done a huge amount of work internationally, from a diplomatic perspective, and has put a huge effort into discussing and raising the issue in a way that has not happened elsewhere in the western world. We have shown leadership as a Government. Indeed, our leaders have shown leadership to the rest of Europe. In fairness, a lot of Europe is now following. Other countries, such as the UK, may be slower, but they are beginning to view things as we have done. As Deputy McGrath outlined, the issues have been raised with us. We receive emails and see social media posts.”
“The news is good tonight but I will keep fighting for the cause of the people of north Kildare, because I know we have been behind. Hopefully, I can continue to be able to raise these issues and to push on behalf of the people of the county.”
“I wholeheartedly welcome that number and €5 million extra per year is welcome news. I am also conscious that the LPT is ultimately paid by the people in the county. Much of that money is hard earned and it is welcome that we are now in a position where more of it can be retained. This money will go back towards the playgrounds, the parks and the delivery of basic services that we have all around the county. We know that we need to do more. The population is growing. Our estates are full. We can discuss a lot about housing in places like Leixlip, Maynooth, Clane, Naas and Kilcock, where a lot of houses are being built, but with this housing we need services. Every extra bit of LPT that we can retain in the county is welcome.”
“I welcome the point the Minister of State made about the LPT and how we can maybe keep more funding within rapidly growing county councils. I look forward to hearing his further detail on that.”
“I thank the Minister of State. The simple fact is that the population of Kildare has increased by 50% in the last 20 years. Although the State has grown, Kildare and especially north Kildare has outpaced that and grown rapidly. Unfortunately, the delivery of funding to the local government in Kildare, Kildare County Council, has not been kept at the same pace. That means we do not have the delivery of facilities we should have and which nearby counties have. Kildare has been at the lowest spend per capita among the councils in all other counties. It has been behind in how services are delivered. Obviously, there is always the debate that more can be done from within the councils themselves but, ultimately, funding is a key aspect.”
“My question for the Minister of State today is on behalf of the people of north Kildare, and indeed the entire county of Kildare. What plans does the Department have to increase local government funding to County Kildare, considering its rapid population growth, to meet its demands? The demands of the people there have been directly affected by the decrease in the provision of services.”
“We would have the Garda Commissioner asking the Minister why he was not more proactive in taking out this sect or that group. That is what this is about. It is about being proactive, being early and getting in with European norms. I welcome any Bill that gives support to the gardaí to do their work and indeed make our country safer.”
“I have sung rebel songs and have been in the company of others as they sang rebel songs. My granduncles were involved in the War of Independence. My family had difficulties dealing with the Black and Tans. That history is a republican history we all have. This will not impact that. It is not about taking people who sing songs out of pubs. To use that kind of misinformation - if that is the level of discussion we are having in the Dáil - then we have all got it wrong. This is about making our country and streets safer. It is about keeping our children safe and ensuring we do not have situations where bombs are going off left and right in towns and that we do not have terrorists here. We cannot come in here following week, asking why we did not know.”
“We have lived it, to a degree, over many centuries and in different places, but we especially see it in the 21st century in many different ways. I thank the Minister for outlining at the very start why this legislation is so different from the UK and why the Kneecap case would not be applicable under this Bill. I profoundly disagree with the case the English Government has taken against the members of Kneecap and welcome what the Minister has outlined today. That case would not be possible under this legislation, which the Minister stated very strongly. That message needs to go out today. We have enough problems with misinformation on social media and that misinformation should not come from this Chamber. I also heard references to rebel songs. Deputy Ward referenced the words of different rebel songs from Dublin.”
“This Bill strengthens national security and modernises counter-terrorism law, ensuring Ireland is better protected from evolving and international terrorist threats. As I asked, who could object to that? Earlier, Deputy Carthy asked what the definition of terrorism was. He seemed unsure. He mentioned different things but, ultimately, it is very clear. If the Deputy had looked it up in the dictionary, he would have seen it is “the calculated use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a population, thereby to bring about a political objective.” Terrorism has been practised by political organisations in different ways, by nationalistic and religious groups, revolutionaries and even state institutions such as armies, intelligence services and police. It is not hard to understand what terrorism is.”
“By including cyber-related offences this Bill future-proofs our legislation against digital threats such as hacking and data breaches. These are the kinds of things we have seen. We have seen data breaches throughout our country, including the HSE and elsewhere in the past number of years. We need to put in place legislation to protect the country in myriad ways. It is key that we bring that in here. This Bill criminalises elements of publicly stating how amazing terrorism is. We have seen the impacts of that online and across social media platforms. It rightly includes the glorification of terrorist acts as a criminal offence, cracking down on extremist propaganda and online radicalisation. Who could not say that has been an issue especially in the 21st century with social media?”
“New offences such as receiving terrorist training and travelling for terrorist purposes allow authorities to intervene earlier. That is key because we need to get in before attacks occur. This Bill enables gardaí to act proactively and gives An Garda Síochána more robust tools to disrupt and prosecute terrorist activity at the planning and preparation stage. What could possibly be wrong with that? As someone who grew up in a Garda family and saw the benefits of gardaí - indeed we had the Garda Commissioner and his team at the PAC today - we know the contribution they make throughout all of our streets. To strengthen their hand is the most important thing we can do in this Chamber to protect the public. This Bill tackles cyberterrorism.”
“There has been some opposition to this Bill, which we heard from the past few contributors. However, I do not see what is wrong with a Bill that protects young people, targets early stages of radicalisation, enables gardaí to act proactively, tackles cyberterrorism, tracks down extreme radicalisation online and strengthens national security. Those are just some of the key highlights. I will try to address those key highlights individually. To protect young people, this Bill recognises the particular harm caused when minors are recruited. To say that does not happen is wrong. We need to try to ensure that does not happen and is treated as an aggravating factor in sentencing. We need to target early stages of radicalisation.”
“I will focus on the issue at hand and what we are here to discuss. I came here to welcome the Bill in a changing world from the Government benches. As a country, we are familiar historically with terrorist activity; we have seen it on our own shores. We have seen waves of it throughout Europe and America over the recent years and especially in the 21st century. That terrorism has taken many different forms, such as cyberterrorism, online radicalisation and online glorification of terrorism. In my lifetime alone, we have seen huge growth in this and the impact it can have. It has led to many deaths and many bombs in places where ordinary people were going about their business. In Ireland we have not seen that yet, but there is always a risk. Therefore, we have to update our laws to reflect this and keep them in line with modern norms.”
“The knock-on impact has been a lack of services in libraries, fire services, recreation and roads. Unlike nearby county councils we have had to vary our LPT upwards to try to maintain services. I am therefore formally requesting a substantially increased baseline LPT allocation from 2026 so Kildare's capital spend is in line with other local authorities with a similar population.”
“There is a serious issue with the insufficient central funding Kildare County Council gets. Since I started in the Dáil I have raised deficits in Kildare covering a range of issues and especially impacting due to our growing population. These include the lack of gardaí, lack of childcare and even the water infrastructure that seems to be crumbling in our areas. In 2022 the population in Kildare was 246,000. That was a 50% increase in 20 years. We are outpacing the national averages. Despite this growth, Kildare County Council has one of the lowest expenditures per head at 33% lower than the national average. Two of my party colleagues from the council, Councillors Evie Sammon and Tracey O'Dwyer, are sitting up in the Gallery. They know all too well the deficits we have.”
“Obviously, it will be a costly and complex exercise but we will need simple steps in place in order that we can identify the costs along the way, how they are orientated and whether the projects are hitting their targets within the timeline. I am very happy that contactless payments are a key focus for the Minister. Hopefully, we look to them being delivered in the near future. The sooner we get an interim measure in place, the better it will be for everyone.”
“The reason I bring up contactless payments is because I commute from north Kildare. As someone who has used buses and trains over years, I have seen the improvements in the public transport system. At the same time, contactless payments are something we have seen in many other countries and cities. A lot of people would have used them in different places. I see no reason Dublin and Ireland should be any different. That is the reason I tabled my question, but I also wanted to speak to an interim measure we could use. We all use our Leap cards, we all update them on the app and we all update our payments, but, sooner rather than later, it should be a simple case of being able to tap and go.”
“Can we get a contactless payment system in the interim? Obviously, the timelines have been highlighted. It might be another two, three or four years before things happen. Could we look at putting in place an interim measure that whereby people could use app to make contactless payments? Coming from north Kildare, it does not seem reasonable that we should expect it to take three or four years.”
“When are we going to get the funds to do them and when will we be in a position to revitalise our town centres? That would involve above-the-shop living refurbishment schemes as well.”
“The issue I raise today is facing a lot of towns across the country, especially in my constituency and town. In the likes of Leixlip and neighbouring towns like Kilcock, we see the centre of our towns facing dereliction and us having to do them up. We have vacant homes and towns that need regeneration. I want to draw a couple of key points that were brought up in the programme for Government. We need to establish a new towns and cities infrastructure investment fund to replace the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, because it seems we are not able to get anyone new onto the URDF scheme. If it is to be replaced, when will it be replaced? We must also have a fund available for towns to draw down. We have a lot of shovel-ready projects in our towns.”
“I want to ensure that the funding is ready to go in that case, which is akin to Maynooth, where LIHAF funding is required for a relief road. I am interested to hear where we are in relation to those situations.”
“I note that the Minister, Deputy Chambers, who is responsible for infrastructure, is beside the Taoiseach. The issue I raise today is the need for a second bridge in Celbridge. Celbridge, a town very close to where I live, has required a second bridge for decades. The population was 1,500 when the current infrastructure was put in place. It now has a population of 23,000. When I was a councillor, it was put down on our local area plan in 2017 that a bridge would have to be installed before any further development would take place. A certain element of funding was put in place for that bridge. When will we see a significant level of funding being put in place for infrastructure in counties like Kildare, where there is a bridge ready to go, where there are plans and we are going through the phases with An Bord Pleanála?”