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.”
The complete record
Every one of 408 lines we hold for Joe Neville, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 7 of 9.
“We can talk all we want about economics and about being best in class but it starts in the schools and starts at home. We as the Government will continue to work to ensure that we can be best in class worldwide in any education system and be proud of it.”
“My wife is a primary school teacher so I hear about the difficulties and challenges teachers face and about the bureaucracy they sometimes face. However, what all of them, including my wife, ultimately talk about is the work the teachers themselves do, their commitment, their work and the care they show for the children. We even see it here in Leinster House every day. We see the kids coming in. They visit this place because they look up to it and see on the news that this is where important decisions are made. It is great that I have the opportunity to speak on behalf of those children and those who educate them because, without the world-class education system we are referencing today, we will not be able to deliver what they need.”
“Schools like Scoil Mochua in Celbridge are looking for extra space for special education classes. That school is willing. The principal and the board of management are keen and we are looking to find a solution but there is a difficulty with land authorities. It is those sorts of blockages that are stopping us from getting that first-class facility in that specific area. With regard to Maynooth, a Gaelscoil is required for north-east Kildare. We have had difficulties. We need extra hours for the school and teachers to get the kids to come in to ensure the school grows in the way it should and that a facility will ultimately be delivered. These are items on which I wish to represent the people of north Kildare. I could go on about a multitude of other issues we come across in individual situations. We all have our own stories to tell.”
“I will come back to my county of Kildare. I see Deputy Ní Raghallaigh across the way. We know the burdens we have in Kildare. We know the burdens presented by a rapidly growing population and the depth of difficulties they impose on the population. Access to the schools people want to go to might not always be available. People might not be able to go to school in their communities. Our Government should be endeavouring to ensure that children can attend classes in their own communities and it is doing so. That is what the Minister is doing and that is what we continue to impress upon her. In individual cases, we may not be able to figure out a solution straight away but it is incumbent on us to resolve those issues. I have worked with individual schools in my area that want to deliver those first-class facilities.”
“It is obvious that improvements are consistently needed. I have raised these with the Minister and she and the previous Minister have made significant changes but there is plenty more work to do. This is consistently brought up. It was brought up during the week with Cara. Many other issues align with that. We spoke about how the numbers keep increasing. From an education perspective, we need more spaces. Deputy Ó Snodaigh spoke about the importance of having more Gaelscoileanna. That is a facility the State should deliver. We have been really positive about Gaelscoileanna. We have seen improvements as regards Irish being spoken but we need to deliver those facilities. It would be very difficult for the State to deliver all of those facilities in one go but we can endeavour to do it piece by piece.”
“In the last 30 years, since I went to school, I have seen significant changes. I may have been fortunate in having been unaware of some of them as an individual. I went to school in a classroom where all my friends could kick a ball, read easily and learn Irish. There were no difficulties. That is because there was separation in our schools. The kids who were a bit different and who had a different level of needs were not in the same classroom as me. That has changed for my children. There are mixed and diverse abilities in their schools. The most important thing is that those children who used to be separated are now in combined classes. Their families and parents get to see them mix in the way they always should have. Those are the changes we have seen in our State over the last 20 or 30 years. That has been a great thing for us.”
“We have been asked to deliver statements on delivering a world-class education system that breaks down barriers and ensures every child can achieve his or her full potential. Since the foundation of the State, we have seen improvements in our education system. Opportunities that may not have been available to our grandparents in the twenties and thirties were available to our parents. Certain opportunities may not have been available to our grandfathers or grandmothers. As a State, we have improved the system through different steps along the way. My dad has never spoken too fondly of Fianna Fáil but one person he has always spoken fondly of is Donogh O'Malley, who introduced free education at second level. Steps like that in the late sixties brought us to the point we are continuing on from today.”
“These are the expansion of afterschool care in school buildings and campuses owned by the State, the plan to change the guidelines to ensure we have the right properties built in new housing estates because it does not seem to be happening, and encouraging State-backed investment to deliver facilities as the initial cost of building these facilities seems to be a big barrier to entry for new providers.”
“I want to speak about a key issue impacting many people in north Kildare. Most likely it is impacting people throughout the country. This is the provision of childcare facilities. I have spoken to parents in Kilcock, Leixlip, Celbridge and Maynooth who are really struggling. It is a key issue in the programme for Government. We also know from speaking to providers that they are struggling to get the correct facilities. I want to focus on three specific areas.”
“I thank Deputy Wall for his contribution. We did not organise this but, at the same time, we are speaking with one voice because we know the issues at hand. I am sure that other counties could do the same. I thank the Minister for his depth of knowledge and his interest in the topic. We need to ensure this gets rolled out.”
“A lot of that has been done through Government funding and the purchase of a local hotel. I have seen how it can work and how we can have positive solutions in some areas. What I want is to have that rolled out across the country, starting with County Kildare at Leixlip, Celbridge, Kilcock and down to Athy, where Deputy Wall is from.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. He referenced the rural but I am also conscious of Kildare, which has the unique issue that it has a number of large towns, like Athy and Newbridge in the south, and Monasterevin, Clane, Celbridge, Leixlip, Naas, Maynooth and Kilcock in the north. We can see where dereliction has impacted those towns and where there is a need for regeneration. We have a great team in Kildare County Council but it is small, with just one or two individuals who are actually going out to try to tackle that dereliction. We know that through the laws and even through the courts, some of the issues can be blocked. My mother is from outside Boyle, County Roscommon, and I have seen how Boyle has been rejuvenated. We can see the benefit of town centre first and how it comes together.”
“I ask the Minister if the Department plans to resource town centre first and establish a dedicated town regeneration team in every local authority focused on tackling vacancy and dereliction in town and villages, as committed in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. I am looking over at Deputy Wall, who is from Athy in County Kildare, while I am from Leixlip. We know first-hand in County Kildare the opportunity that this would give us.”
“We can talk about AI all we want, and we can talk about all those things, but if we do not have the people in the system to make the best of it, our economy will not grow and develop in the way it should and our people will not develop the way they should.”
“I thank the Minister for his feedback and his commitment. The two of us have benefitted from the amazing education system we have had in this country. We have both utilised it to the best possible degree in various forms. What we want, and the opportunity we have here, is to ensure that all the young people growing up in this new and growing constituency can access it, and I see Deputy Ó Cearúil is here. Obviously, there is a multitude of other issues around accessing education, maybe transport and housing and places to stay, but often the initial core barrier can be cost. The focus of this Government needs to be on ensuring that everyone has access to education. Third level education is key to driving possibilities.”
“Like the Minister, I know that many people in north Kildare attend Maynooth University. It is really important. With all of the economic difficulties we face, education is at the core of what we do and how we can grow the country in the future.”
“I thank the Minister for his reply. As someone who grew up just after third level education was made free, I benefited, as did many of my peers and our parents and families. That opened up third level education, which might not have been a possibility before. We have seen those benefits. Obviously, that has evolved and changed over the last number of years. It is incumbent on this Government to reduce the cost of third level education. There are various ways in which that policy might be achieved. Some might be of the view that there should be free third level education. There are also other ways, such as through grants. That seems to be the route the Department is going down. If we can increase the rates and the thresholds, it will improve the opportunities for different families.”
“The conversation has changed in Ireland in recent years. Since I first became a councillor in 2009, it has continued to change. My own personal journey has been impacted by certain individuals. I have learned a lot and I am delighted to be able to speak on this matter tonight as a TD. I smile across at my colleague who was there on part of that journey as well. She remembers many of those conversations. During Covid-19 and everything else, people got their chance to go to different places. People referenced specific places. In my area, it was St. Catherine’s Park in Castletown House. Those are the sorts of locations we loved and dealt with, in which we got to experience the biodiversity of our own areas. Everyone has their own places, be they the greenways or whatever it might be. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this matter tonight.”
“I welcome this opportunity to speak with the Minister of State because he has the opportunity at the top table to raise these issues and impress them upon his colleagues. I will also be impressing them on my own colleagues, such as the Minister, Deputy Burke, in the context of the economic sector. We can make an important impact on biodiversity by helping farmers and encouraging natural farming. Farmers could potentially have their own businesses, which would encourage tourism and our economy. All these things can be linked. It might be asked what the point of biodiversity is. People might say the best way is what gets the most out of the land and biodiversity will mean farmers having to cut this and that. We have to think about the broader piece, however. That is something that has changed.”
“We want to encourage visits to places like Donadea or the Curragh, which are outside my area. That is the importance of biodiversity week. My friend, Benny McDonagh, ran in the local elections for the Green Party. He has since passed away. He was a great friend who passed away a couple of months ago. I am thinking of him and his family today. He was someone who encouraged me so much to raise this matter. Even at his funeral, he had little Irish seedballs for everyone to plant. That is something I took from him. In a small way, that will be a legacy he leaves. I know his daughter, Amber, is doing her leaving certificate. I am thinking about that too. Everyone has their own journey and can make their own impact if they keep discussing it and raising it.”
“In respect of local groups, such as Tidy Towns, I had the good fortune to go to the Leixlip Tidy Towns annual general meeting last night. It was all about biodiversity. For many of us in Ireland, 20 or 30 years ago, Tidy Towns groups were about litter picking and flower boxes and ensuring the boxes were watered. It is now about sustainability and biodiversity and ensuring we plant and grow plants to make the place look better. It is about people like them. We can actually make an impact through the consistent education and messaging we get during weeks like this. For biodiversity week, Kildare County Council held events throughout the county. I am sure it was the same in the other council areas. Deputy Byrne referenced every single place in Wexford and I am sure other people did likewise for their areas.”
“She brought up the issue of glyphosate and Roundup being used by the council. It was taken out of use because of one person's ambition. It was removed from use by Kildare County Council. I think of people like them during discussions like this. Some might ask what the point is or what impact politicians can have on biodiversity. When you see individuals such as that making those kinds of key impacts, they might seem small but they can change behaviours. Someone like me is talking about it a number of years later in Leinster House and continuing on that same message. When I first heard it, I would not have necessarily known about it. At the same time, it is people like Íde Cussen who have made the difference.”
“I will not make a grand speech about something I have always been involved in, but biodiversity was something I always just knew about. On the farm where my mam grew up in north Roscommon or the farm my uncle had, there were meadows and bees but I never thought too much about biodiversity. I grew up in a housing estate in Leixlip. We were out and about and parks were just for playing football. When I became a councillor, it started hitting home. As I speak, I am thinking of Vanessa Liston, who was a councillor with me in the Celbridge-Leixlip area. She brought forward ideas, made biodiversity important and pitched it for all the council motions and I would sit there and listen. I recall Íde Cussen, a councillor in the Celbridge municipal district. She was also a colleague of Deputy Cronin.”
“Considering this from that perspective, is there the level of work we can do to mitigate any tariffs that may come in the future, to allay any potential fears and to offer assistance in looking for new and additional markets to help bridge any gap we may find from any tariffs?”
“In the context of Kildare and given that the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, is seated beside the Minister, we should remember Kerry Group is one of Kildare’s major employers and exporters. We are fortunate the company is based in Naas and is a key employer in our county. What discussions has the Minister been able to have with such businesses? What mitigating measures can we put in place ahead of tariffs and what discussions can we have? No more than we have Intel in the north of County Kildare producing semiconductors, we also have a huge food industry.”
“Is there an opportunity to work with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on both agriculture and business to try to put a new face on farming?”
“I thank the Minister. I will make sure to bring back to Kildare word that its two Fine Gael Deputies are among the hardest working TDs in the country. I had the good fortune of being able to nip back to Leixlip and Kilcock for events earlier this evening. I am slightly closer to Leinster House than the Minister, so I am lucky in that regard. I will make a couple of comments on the great potential associated with trading partners such as India and China. What discussions have we had with emerging nations? Have we shone an extra light in their way? In the context of expanding our base internally to make up for circumstances, today I was lucky enough to go to a food trail event in north Kildare. When focusing on Kildare, I was thinking about the micro-economic and micro-business sides working together with the agricultural side.”
“Has any analysis been carried out to date on potential new markets for agrifood produce, exports of which to the US currently amount to almost €2 billion per annum, should tariffs be introduced? Will the Minister make a statement on the matter in the context of his visit to the US?”
“Considering the major population increase we have had in north Kildare, will the Department of Education and Youth consider that a catch-up is required in constituencies such as mine and supply adequate numbers of special classes in the towns I mentioned in order to ensure every child has access to suitable education in their local community?”
“In six months since I was elected, I have received many emails, calls and texts from concerned parents in towns such as Kilcock, Celbridge, Leixlip, Maynooth and Naas who are struggling to find special education places for their children. This Government has promised to increase the number of special schools and special classes across the country. I acknowledge the work that has been done so far, with an extra 399 new special education classes for the upcoming academic year. However, my constituency of Kildare North will only benefit from nine of those places.”
“My constituency has seen increased fares in the third area of the county. I welcome the work of the Minister of State and the opportunity to discuss it with him on behalf of the citizens of north Kildare.”
“The waiting time could be a year or even 15 months, so it was not unusual then. It was wrong and made doing the test difficult for my friends and I. Ultimately, they were able to resolve the situation. I will not say the issue went away, but it definitely seemed to have repaired itself for the next generation of drivers. I do not know whether it is due to the pandemic or the subsequent impacts, but we seem to be back to where we were in 2010 and 2011 and we have seen a deterioration. The impacts are the same as they were when we went to do the test. Somebody looking to get a job or a student starting college needs to drive, which is becoming more common because of the lack of or difficulties with student housing as people come to Maynooth University. We know bus and rail services are under pressure.”
“I will continue in the same vein as some of the other Deputies from across the country. People from my constituency also use test centres in neighbouring constituencies. People from north Kildare would have used Fonthill in the past, but they now use Tallaght and Naas predominantly. We have seen wait times increase. My colleague in north Kildare, Deputy Cronin, referenced a 28-week waiting time in Naas while her colleague referenced 43 weeks in Tallaght. Those are the waiting times for people in north Kildare. When I looked at the website today, the first note I saw from the RSA said that a reasonable waiting time would be between ten and 12 weeks. Obviously, we are missing those basic targets. I want to be fair because this was an issue when I first started learning to drive many years ago.”
“The way we share our culture is something we need to recognise on a positive day. This being Europe Day, let us reaffirm our dedication to a Europe that stands for peace, democracy and solidarity, not just with words but also with action. Ireland has played its part and will continue to play its part constructively, proudly and with purpose. I, as a newly elected TD, having been elected a few months ago, am delighted to be able to stand here on Europe Day and recognise how Europe has made its contribution to Ireland and, indeed, how Ireland has made its contribution to Europe.”
“The Schuman Declaration of 1950 is probably the very reason not only that we are here in this way but also, and more important, that the European Union is together in the way it is. Ireland did not join the EEC initially but when it did it transformed it. I have seen the benefits throughout my generation, but people began to see them in previous generations, including in the early 1970s. When I was in school, we used to call Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain “the PIGS”. Ireland is no longer such a country, and this has been attributable to much of the investment and work done by the EU. Ultimately, we should never forget the impact on our economy of our being part of Europe, and that is why I want to speak positively. We can see the benefits of EU membership through economics but also through shared culture.”
“Previous speakers have spoken about the impact of conflicts in other parts of the world, including in places not too far from us, but the reality of living through a conflict is something that brought France and Germany together. Nations were torn apart, 60 million people lay dead, and the Continent was in ruins all over. In fairness, Ireland got through it to a degree but at the same time it did see the devastation up close. Out of the ruins came a bold and visionary idea. Only through unity, mutual respect and shared prosperity could Europe come together and ensure war would never happen again. From the 1860s right through to the First World War, and obviously into the Second World War, there was ongoing conflict between France and Germany.”
“Today, in marking Europe Day, I want to talk positively because I have seen the changes in my lifetime. The reasons for the European Union’s coming into being were obviously the worst things that ever happened. Just over 80 years ago, Europe was devastated by the horrors of the Second World War. All around many of our rooms, we have the books, films and documentaries, but ultimately, because we never experienced the war, we will never truly understand it. The people who came together to bring Europe together, which is ultimately why we are celebrating, did experience it. As we remove ourselves from it, we risk not understanding anymore the complete devastation that can happen, especially on our Continent.”
“I ask this question because participation of women in sport is so important. These people, who have taken this stance, should be supported by the Government.”
“Last Saturday a powerful statement was made by 30 women on the Dublin and Kilkenny senior camogie teams when they took to the pitch for the Leinster semi-final wearing shorts instead of the regulator skorts which are mandated by the Camogie Association. This action was in response to findings in the survey by the GPA which found that 83% of players wanted to have the choice. Unfortunately the rules had to be enforced by a referee put in a very difficult position and the teams were told the game would have to be abandoned unless they changed. Will the Government support the players in getting this rule changed and asking the Camogie Association under rule 10.5(C), which would allow the ard comhairle to consider derogation requests from a specific rule where strict adherence to the rule may not be in the best interests of the association?”
“What is really strikes is the individual people who every day wonder how the cuts might come into their area and how it might affect them. That is something we are all very conscious of and I have been trying to limit some of that impact over the last while. They are the people I am also thinking about today. I want to stand up for them as a TD. I have been elected to represent them and it is a great honour for me to be able to do that. That is why I chose to speak here today on this item. I want to legislate for them but I also want to listen for them and honour them and do the best I can for the workers of Ireland and the workers of the world who have contributed so much and have made our society what it is today.”
“When I speak about workers' rights today, I am not just speaking from theory but I like to think I am talking from my own personal and family experience. I saw the benefit of the people who went out to work; they are the people who raised me. I am very conscious of all of those people as I stand here today. Workers are not just contributors to our economy. Often that can be the way it is referenced. They are the foundation of our communities, families and all our public services, which ultimately we are only working here on behalf of. As a TD for Kildare North, in the last few weeks we have heard the talk about Intel. Intel is based in my home town of Leixlip. It is one of the largest employers in the country. I know there has been so much talk about possible cuts. There is talk about employment numbers, and financial results for Intel.”
“In this country there is a huge need for them. Workers are needed across all different sectors. We can see the real need for them and the call for increased workers across all segments of society. We must support our front-line public sector workers who carried us through the pandemic. Once again I saw it at the forefront of my own family. We must tackle different forms of precarious employment and safeguard new forms of work. There has been talk about AI in here over the last few months. What changes will that bring? The rights of workers and the positions of workers in the workplace may need to be thought of in that context because who knows which industries will be changed by some of those monumental technological changes that are coming?”
“As a result of the work of unions, civil society and elected representatives in this House who preceded us, things have changed and improved. Let me highlight some of the progress we have made since 2011. We have introduced the national minimum wage transitioning to a living wage model, mandatory sick pay, the right to request remote working and indeed the movement towards a work-life balance, which is something we have continued to strive for. It is not always easy, it does not always succeed, but companies are going that way. Even in my own lifetime working in the private sector predominantly, we have seen huge changes in the last 20 years. At the same time, the work has not finished. I know things need to be done. We need to close the gender pay gap. We must invest in more skills and apprenticeships.”
“Those are companies that I worked in. They employed thousands of people and I have seen at first hand the determination and resilience of those people and they are the people I am thinking of again today, people who I worked with. On a wider scale, from 1921, since the Irish State itself was founded, workers have been at the heart of our success. Ireland has come a long way in the last 104 years and it has been the ordinary people of this country who have helped build it, be it in public services as my family were predominantly, or indeed in agriculture and industry. Brick by brick, block by block, this country has changed and improved. With that, the lives of our workers have improved in that same way. In the early days there was no minimum wage, no legal entitlement to paid holidays, no protections for women in the workplace.”
“My first job was when I was 14 years of age washing dishes in the Springfield Hotel. I worked through my teens at other jobs, serving in shops. I worked in Boyers in town, which is gone now, I worked in Bargaintown, and in all those sorts of jobs. I worked with so many different people, people I think of today who worked in their own roles in those places. That taught me at a very young age. Deputies were discussing the importance of young people in the workplace. I saw that myself and it helped develop me into the person I am with the experience I have. Since then even as I developed after that, I worked with people in Dublin Airport and saw the value of the unions in Dublin Airport. I could see the contributions they made in an area like that, and then in the Kerry Group and Circle K. There were thousands of workers in those industries.”
“My dad was a garda, my mother was a nurse, people who made their contributions and improved society, people who got up every day and not only worked their own jobs but helped other people to go about their lives and to make their own contributions. Nurses and gardaí are interlinked in our communities. It is the value of the people who got up in the morning, who worked late at night. My dad often was on shift work, working nights. As a family we benefitted, we got the benefits of that in our community. Ultimately that is something I have not forgotten. My wife is a schoolteacher and in many ways it is the same thing, continuing to help the people and helping their communities. That is a source of great pride for me. Like so many people in the country, I too started working young.”
“For every man and woman who has ever given their time, effort and dignity to build a better Ireland, the true work, today is the day we reflect on them. Today is about recognising the value and contribution of workers, not just in an abstract way as an economic number on a ballot sheet as is often the case, but as real people, people like my family and yours, like every person in this country who has got up in the morning, sat into a car, got on a train and gone out to work, just to build a better life for themselves, put food on the table, to raise their children and make their best, not only for themselves and their family but also for their communities. I stand before you as a TD but also as someone who comes from a working family, a family of public servants.”
“It is a great honour to be here, as a relatively newly elected TD, to speak on International Workers' Day. This is a day that rings out not only around Ireland but across the world. Workers in different societies have, for many generations and over hundreds of years, had a constant fight to get their rights, whether it is in industry or otherwise. We have seen it in the United Kingdom, the US and all across the world. While that struggle may have had positive results for many in the industrial world that battle continues in other places. For ourselves, today is special for the trade unions and activists that have made huge changes to and differences in our lives. We as a country have benefitted.”
“I raise these points not as a criticism but as a colleague who wants to work with the Minister to ensure that Ireland remains a top-tier business destination for investment and innovation. As a newly elected TD, I want to work with the Minister and do the best I can. We can work on all of these issues. I thank my colleague, Deputy Ged Nash, for doing the swap and for facilitating that this morning.”
“I thank the Minister. Intel's situation underscores how crucial it is that we address the systemic issues. In other Departments, we have things like planning delays, which can cause uncertainty. Energy prices, which the Minister alluded to earlier, are a key issue not only for small businesses but also for very large businesses like Intel. Energy prices are above many EU rates, so that is something of which we have to be very conscious. We all know that we have to speed up infrastructure delivery and I know that it is a significant part of the Government's plan in the next four years. There has been real focus on that. We must also factor in other issues such as cybersecurity threats and the resilience of supply chains.”